Submersable circulator cooker

Abstract

A sous-vide circulator cooker for home or small restaurant sous-vide cooking. The sous-vide circulator cooker is particularly suited for use in home kitchens and on small countertops. The sous-vide circulator cooker can be fully submersed into water and not be adversely affected. The sous-vide circulator cooker includes a detachable skirt which allows for cleaning the skirt itself and cleaning of a heater and ring clamp that can adjust the optimum output location of the pump and account for shallow pots. In at least one embodiment, the sous-vide circulator also contains electrodes that can detect water level.

1 . A fluidic temperature control device for sous-vide cooking comprising:
 an upper portion including a turnable display and an input device coupled to the microprocessor controller;   a middle portion connected to the upper portion, the middle portion housing a temperature controller controlled by the microprocessor; and   a lower portion connected to the middle portion, the lower portion housing a submersible fluid agitation device including impellers and motor, and a heating element coupled to the temperature controller, the lower portion configured for at least partial immersion in a fluid; and   a ring clamp that can be secured to the middle and lower portions to allow vectoring and vertical height adjustment of the system and pump.   
     
     
         2 . The fluidic temperature control device of  claim 1 , wherein the upper portion and middle portion are sealed, thereby preventing water entry, thereby protecting electronics, the display and other electrical devices within the fluidic temperature control device. 
     
     
         3 . The fluidic temperature control device of  claim 1 , wherein the agitation device is a submersible pump system, and includes a motor and an impeller. 
     
     
         4 . The fluidic temperature control device of  claim 1  wherein the agitation device comprises a rotatable impeller blade. 
     
     
         5 . The fluidic temperature control device of  claim 1 , wherein the lower portion housing is composed of at least stainless steel, aluminum or plastic, and is removable without tools. 
     
     
         6 . The fluidic temperature control device of  claim 5 , wherein the lower portion contains slits or openings running along at least a portion of a length of the lower portion. 
     
     
         7 . The fluidic temperature control device of  claim 5 , wherein the lower portion is removable from the middle portion and removal of the lower portion exposes the agitation device and heaters. 
     
     
         8 . The fluidic temperature control device of  claim 1 , where the middle portion has two adjustable electrodes configured to sense a water level. 
     
     
         9 . The fluidic temperature control device of  claim 1 , wherein the heating element is proximate the agitation device. 
     
     
         10 . The fluidic temperature control device of  claim 8 , wherein the electrodes have adjustable lengths to allow detection of different water levels. 
     
     
         11 . The fluidic temperature control device of  claim 1 , wherein the temperature controller is configurable to control the temperature of the heating element and is configurable to receive data inputs inputted via the input device, the inputs comprising control commands to control the temperature of the heating element. 
     
     
         12 . The fluidic temperature control device of  claim 1 , wherein the ring clamp can be a ring or semicircle, that allows both the unit to be secured to the container while allowing the system to be positioned vertically and turned. 
     
     
         13 . A sous-vide circulator cooker, comprising:
 a controller located in a sealed housing;   a submersible pump connected to the sealed controller;   an adjustable electrodes to detect water level; and   a ring clamp enabling the device to be turned.   
     
     
         14 . The sous-vide circulator cooker of  claim 13 , wherein a substantial entirety of the device can be run submersed in water without negatively impacting operation of the device. 
     
     
         15 . The sous-vide circulator cooker of  claim 13 , wherein the submersible pump can be opened without tools to expose the impeller blades 
     
     
         16 . The sous-vide circulator cooker of  claim 13 , wherein the electrodes is configurable with attachments that enable adjustment of a length of the electrodes. 
     
     
         17 . The sous-vide circulator cooker of  claim 13 , wherein the ring clamp adjustable to adjust how deeply at least a portion of the device is submersed into water. 
     
     
         18 . The sous-vide circulator cooker of  claim 13 , wherein portions of the sealed housing are configured to can change color to provide information regarding an operational state of the device. 
     
     
         18 . The sous-vide circulator cooker of  claim 13 , wherein the submersible pump has a barb located on the pump outlet containing a tube receiver.